Monday, May 22, 2006

Planting Packysandra

5-22-06 SHORT HILLS: The weather finally changed from rain to dry yesterday afternoon while we were touring Greenwood Gardens with Lucy. She was very taken with the former Blanchard Estate and wants one just like it. Good Luck. Today it was windy, cool and frost warnings are out for tonight. Naturally, we put the house plants out yesterday. Yesterday was also the St. Huberts dog walk. All our four dogs were there and much barking was done. Vermont tomorrow.

Over the weekend I planted packysandra in an area where grass doesn't grow adjacent to other packysandra beds. It was about 40 sq. ft. My technique is to dig a series of shallow trenches in the area, about 4" deep and fill them with a row of plants cut from some place where they have overgrown a path or driveway. Then back fill the trench. Done. Next trench. Water them all summer. Usually about 75% survive and begin to spread the next year. Put the cutting in a bucket half filled with water so they don't dry out before getting planted. You can plant densely or not depending on how much you have to use and how much you need to cover.

I also bought another hydrangea for the front of the house where the two from last year have done so well.

New blooms: star-of-Bethlehem and black chokeberry. I forgot to mention this last one last week when it actually came out. I guess I choked. I'll apologize by posting its picture.

2 comments:

you know, living in a house with your own garden is really a blessing. Having resided in the city for the entire lifetime i really envy people like you who can grow your own flowers and see them bloom right in front of your house. *dreamy*

i hardly know what to make of the preceding comment. good thing you weren't planting irises or orchids, gardener, or else mrs. gardener might have to make way for the dreamy serendipity.

in my demographic on long island, btw, pachysandra is scorned, the groundcover equivalent of "your father's oldsmobile." how about spreading some funky bishop's weed, which you gave me cuttings of, instead?